November 28: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to provide USD 150 million (approximately NRs 15.4 billion) loan assistance for the implementation of the Regional Urban Development Project. Issuing a press statement, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) said an agreement to this effect was signed and exchanged at the ministry on Monday, November 27.
The ADB has set the interest rate at 1% per annum including the grace period of eight years and 1.5% thereafter, MoF said in the statement.
The project is expected to enhance urban infrastructure in the terai region, reducing the flooding duration to less than an hour in eight municipalities.
As per the agreement, the loan will used in the construction and rehabilitation of 200 kilometers of storm water drains, improvement of 240 km of roads, construction of at least 40 km of footpaths, building four sanitary landfills and resource recovery centers, and construction of 20 km of sewers.
According to MoF, the project investment will cover the eight municipalities located in southern terai and far-western Nepal that includes Birgunj, Biratnagar, Siddharthanagar, Nepalgunj, Bheemdatta, Dhangadhi, Godawari and Shuklaphanta municipalities.
MoF said that the main objective of the project is to enhance sustainable urban development and to attain balanced regional development. After the successful completion of the program, it is expected that urban infrastructure in the eight municipalities will be rehabilitated, municipal capacity will be strengthened and project preparation capacity will be improved in line with climate-resilient and sustainable designs.
“The executing agency of the project is the Ministry of Urban Development and implementing agencies are the concerned municipalities and the Kailali-based office of the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction. The expected date of completion of the project is December 31, 2022,” reads the statement.
The agreement was signed by Shankar Prasad Adhikari, secretary at the Ministry of Finance and Mukhtor Khamudkhanov, country director of ADB’s Nepal Resident Mission on behalf of their respective organizations.
